Concert Qui Vive: Voices of Light

Music lovers in Breda and the surrounding area are now familiar with the concerts by Qui Vive, the group of choir singers and orchestral musicians that comes to Breda once a year. Traditionally, this concert in Breda marks the end of the summer tour that the ensemble undertakes every year in France.

This year, Qui Vive will come to Zandberg58 on 7 September. Qui Vive is always highly appreciated for its varied programmes, but occasionally this tradition is broken, and a major work is chosen to fill the entire programme. In 2025, it will be Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light. It is a beautiful oratorio from 1994, inspired by the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc from 1928 – one of the last years of silent cinema – about Jeanne d’Arc’s final hours before her execution.

The film will not be shown during Qui Vive’s performance; instead, simple theatrical elements are incorporated into the production.

Qui Vive is a Dutch semi-professional choir and orchestra that has been travelling to France every year since 1998 at the start of the summer holidays to enjoy a week of classical music and a relaxing holiday at a campsite. The musical direction is handled by Ad van Unen, with the direction this year provided by Wendy Roobol.  The bond formed over the years and the shared love for music are reflected in the quality of the performances.

This summer, Qui Vive presents an impressive work about Jeanne d’Arc’s suffering, who remains a heroine for many French people due to her important role during the Hundred Years’ War. Einhorn has reportedly attempted to keep the music as timeless and simple as possible, referring to Jeanne’s image: straightforward at first glance but actually very complex. There is only one character, Jeanne, and her role is performed by two sopranos and two altos. Einhorn believes that Jeanne d’Arc and her history have a feminist character. For the text of his oratorio, he has used ancient sources, especially from medieval mystics, including Hildegard von Bingen.